Did you wake up with pain in your cheek or have you been told you need a root canal? I’m Dr. Rachel Miro and I’m a dentist here at Dental Implant Aesthetic Specialist, and today we’re going to talk about what a root canal is and what exactly that process looks like.
Understanding a Root Canal
I always like to tell patients a root canal is basically like a filling, but what we’re doing is we’re filling the inside of the tooth. A lot of people don’t know this, but your tooth actually has a nerve and it has blood that goes to it. The root canal procedure might sound a little bit scary, but it is actually really simple.
The Procedure
Basically, what we do is we drill a little hole through the tooth to access the area, and we can really clean out the nerve of the tooth and the blood supply so we can fill it up with a filling material. When we clean it out for you, we use a lot of different types of liquids and irrigations, which really make sure that any bacteria that was in that tooth causing you pain is cleaned out. After that, we go ahead and fill the area of the tooth that we cleaned out, making sure that it’s filled all the way to the top nicely and comfortably.
The Importance of a Crown
One thing that I like to tell patients is that it’s really important after a root canal to get a crown. What is a crown? A crown is a structure that’s going to protect your tooth, covering 360 degrees of the tooth. Some patients ask, “Well, I just got my root canal. Why do I need a crown now?”
Protecting the Tooth
So, I always like to explain to them, when you clean out the inside of something, you make it hollow. Therefore, you can weaken the tooth. Even though we need these root canals to take us out of pain, it does weaken your tooth a little bit. These crowns are there to protect the tooth. We put them over the tooth 360 degrees so that your tooth can function as one unit.
Purpose of a Root Canal
All in all, root canals really aim to remove all of the infected tissue from your tooth and fill it with synthetic material so that you will no longer experience pain or symptoms in this tooth. This is really aimed at removing any pain or infection from your tooth, making it nice and clean.
When to Consult a Dentist
If you think you might need a root canal but you don’t know exactly, and you haven’t been told by a dentist, definitely go in and consult a dentist. There are a lot of things that can happen that can lead to needing a root canal.
Causes of Root Canal Necessity
Some of these things can be you break the tooth and it’s broken all the way down to where that little nerve supply was to the tooth. This can cause a lot of pain. Another thing can be you have a cavity, and unfortunately, the cavity just gets big enough that it touches the nerve of the tooth. Really, those are the two main things, but one other thing is sometimes if you fall or you hit your tooth or bite down on something really hard, this can actually cause enough trauma to a tooth that it could cause you to need a root canal.
Symptoms to Watch For
That root canal pain usually is a throbbing, kind of heartbeat sensation in the tooth, and we always want to address it as soon as patients start to experience symptoms to ensure that they don’t progress and that patients don’t develop any sort of infection in that tooth. Besides heartbeat pain in the tooth, another indicator of needing a root canal, if you can’t see it because the tooth has a cavity or is broken, could be lots of hot and cold sensitivity.
Conclusion
If you drink that ice water and the pain shoots you through your chair, that’s indicative that something might be going on with the nerve of that tooth, and it’s really essential to go see your doctor and make sure that it’s addressed. A root canal is definitely something you don’t want to delay. If you need one, please go see your dentist. Come see us. We’re happy to help you. It’s something that you want to avoid progressing. If you’ve been told you need a root canal or you think you might need a root canal, come see us. We’re happy to help you. I’m Dr. Rachel Miro, a dentist here at Dental Implant Aesthetic Specialist, and I’m here to help you watch your mouth.